Hand-actuated hair cutting apparatus



Sept. 6, 1960 F. R. ERN ET AL HAND-ACTUATED HAIR CUTTING APPARATUS Filed June 24, 1958 INVENTU R5:

TRIIZ RILHHRU ERN anc? PHL/L s mmamz'n 15v: hum S. 02%,-

flTEir HTTURNEY HAND-ACTUATED HAIR CUTTING APPARATUS Fritz Richard Em and Paul Geldmacher, Solingen- Wald,

Germany, assignors to Firma C. Friedr. Ern, Sohngen- Wald, Germany Filed June 24, 1958, Ser. No. 744,100

Claims priority, application Germany July 8, 1957 6 Claims. (Cl. 30-212) The present invention relates to hair cutting devices in general, and more particularly to a miniature hair cutting apparatus which is actuatable by the users hand.

In accordance with the latest fashion trend, hair growth on the nape, in the arm pits, on the legs, and.

eventually on certain other areas of a ladys body should be removed at regular and rather frequent intervals. Also, the eyebrows are quite often trimmed into thin, arcuate or straight lines, depending on a ladys taste. Moreover, men, too, often require some simple means for trimming the beard, mustache or side burns with great accuracy. Since it is not always possible to have such hair removed by trained personnel in a beauty Salon, barber shop or similar institution, not only because of the time element involved in actual service and waiting but also due to expenditures connected with the services, there exists a great need for a device by means of which, without expert help and at no cost to the user, the rapidly growing hair may be removed whenever deemed necessary.

Hair removing devices of known construction, such as apparatus employing razor blades, shaving knives, electrical and mechanical hair cutting and shaving apparatus, as well as certain chemical preparations, have proven to be unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons if one desires to remove hair from certain hard-to-get-at body portions. Quite often, the operation of such known devices or media is too dangerous or too difficult for an inexperienced user and, in addition, the known devices are generally of such dimensions and form as to be impractical for satisfactory removal of hair from certain difiicultly accessible body portions. Moreover, many conventional hair removing devices are rather costly since they are generally intended for use as shaving apparatus, i.e. for cutting the bristles very close to the skin. They are, therefore, dimensioned to withstand considerable stresses, wear and tear, and must be of rugged, precise and hence costly construction. Chemical preparations, on the other hand, often affect the skin and cannot be utilized by everybody without some risk of causing undesirable aftereifects.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a hair cutting apparatus which is'particularly suitable for removal of hair grown on the nape, in the arm pits, for shaving of legs, for trimming of eyebrows,

mustaches, beards, side burns, or for use on certain other areas of the human body.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the above described character which is of small dimensions, extremely simple in construction,.sufficiently rugged and entirely safe in operation, andwhich may be manufactured of readily available materials and assembled of prefabricated component parts. A further object of the invention is to provide a miniature hair cutting apparatus which is so constructed that it may be operated by either hand of a user.

additional object of the invention is to provide 2 a device of the aforementioned character which requires no special attention as to the side of the cutting means applied against the skin. I

A still further object of the invention is to provide a manually operable miniature hair cutting apparatus which may be readily taken apart for cleaning, inspection, repair, or replacement of parts.

A yet further object of the instant invention is to provide an apparatus of the above described character which is so constructed that the housingtakes up any undesirable and excessive stresses exerted against the actuating means for the cutting means.

A more specific object of'the invention is to provide a manually operable hair cutting apparatus of very small dimensions in which all parts are removably connected to each other to reduce the costs for repair and replacement of a damaged, worn or broken component part.

- A concomitant object of the invention is to provide a hair cutting apparatus whose housing and cutting means are of symmetric design.

The above and other objects of the invention are attained by the provision'of a hair cutting device comprising essentially a'separable housing consisting of two parts, a hand-actuatable two-armed lever constituting the actuating means whose one portion or arm partially extends from the housing under the action of a spring, a stationary cutting member seated in one part of the housing, a movable cutting member operatively connected with the other portion or arm of the lever to perform reciprocating movements with respect to the stationary cutting member in response to pivoting movements of the lever caused by the users hand in one direction and return movements under the influence of the constantly acting spring, and connecting means for holding the two parts of the housing and the actuating lever in proper position. I

One part of the housing constitutes the cover and is seated in the other part, preferably in such manner that it controls the pressure with which the movable cutting member bears against the stationary cutting member in addition to guiding the resilient means together with the other part of the housing; The two parts define a slot for the passage of the hand-operable arm of the actuating means which latter pivots about the connecting means. The shorter arm of the lever engages with the reciprocable cutting member to move said member between suitable stops in the housing. The entire apparatus is of rather fiat shape, of such sizeas to be readily receivable in the users hand, and preferably symmetrical with respect toa plane separating the cutting members, whereby it may be received in and operated by either hand in such manner that the lever is repeatedly depressedby the users fingers while the housing rests against the root of the thumb.

Slotted cutting portions of the cutting members which extend from the front end of the housing are preferably formed with inclined surfaces to define an elongated edge which may be guided with great precisionalong the skin to remove or to trim the hair at any of the aforementioned body portions 1 7 7 That housing part whichat its front end receives the stationary cutting member is formed with peripheral edge portions save for the slot through which the longer arm of actuating lever extends. These edge portions surround means for restricting the movable cutting member to reciprocating movements and for defining a bore for the passage of one of the connecting elements, the latter being removably received in the second connecting element which passes through the other part of the housing and also pivotally supports the actuating lever intermediate its arms. The aforesaid means for restricting the movable cutting member to reciprocating movements may consist of two pins projecting from the covers reinforced zone into a transverse groove or channel provided in the adjacent surface of the movable cutting member.

The entire apparatus is preferably of such size as to cover only a relatively small area of the users palm and, all components parts being removably received in the housing, may be taken apart or assembled whenever necessary. The housing and the actuating lever may be made of suitable plastic material. Since the device is intended for removal of relatively light hair growth, a flat actuating lever may be employed and is preferably so mounted that its hand-actuated arm at all times extends into the slot provided therefor in the housing. In this manner, all lateral stresses upon the lever are taken up by the housing and, consequently, as before mentioned, even a fiat lever may be utilized. The two parts forming the housing are of slightly cupped or concave shape and when assembled, form an article approximating the shape of aheart. Due to such cupped form, the wall thicknesses of housing parts, save for the aforementioned reinforced zones, may be kept at a minimum which, too, together with a fiat lever,- results in an apparatus of lightweight construction which may be conveniently carried in a pocket or handbag.

The novel features which are considered as characteristie for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of the fully assembled hair cutting apparatus;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the apparatus as seen from the right-hand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the apparatus in the position of Fig. 1 with the cover member removed; and

Fig. 4 is a view of the interior of the cover member.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, the hair cutting apparatus therein shown comprises a housing consisting of two parts 1, 2, respectively, made preferably of suitable and appropriately colored plastic material, for example, by injection molding. The assembled housing is rather fiat as best shown in Fig. 2., to be conveniently received in a users hand. Housing part or base 1 is formed with edge portions 3, one of which defines a slot 4' for the passage of hand-actuatable portion 9 of a pivotally mounted actuating lever 8. Edge portions 3 form the narrower sides of assembled hair cutting apparatus and serve as locator means for the second part or cover member 2 which is received therewithin.

Adjacent to its rear (in the drawings lower) end, housing part 1 is formed with a reinforced zone 4 defining a recess 41:: which receives one end of U-shaped spring 10. The other end of the spring is received in a recess 9a provided in the hand-actuatable portion 9 of actuating lever 8. Resilient member 10 is entirely housed between parts '1 and 2.

Housing part 1 is formed with two additional reinforced zones or stops 4b, 40 adjacent to its working or front end, the zones 4b, 4c defining triangular projections for guiding, locating and retaining a stationary member 14 of the actual hair cutting means. Projections 15 are shallower than reinforced zones 4b, 40, corresponding in thickness only to that of member 14; therefore, they cannot obstruct reciprocating movements of the second cutting member 11.

A further, preferably flat, reinforced zone 5 extends from the working end of housing part 1 inwardly between and beyond reinforced zones 4b, 40. This zone 5 serves various purposes, namely, to provide an abutment and seat for one major surface of cutting member 14 at the working end of housing part 1 and between projections 15; to define a bore 5a for the passage of connecting means 6, 7; and to locate one'side of the looped portion of return spring 10.

Connecting means comprises a hollow female pivot screw 6 passing through the bore 5a in reinforced zone 5, and a male screw member 7 extending through a bore 2b in reinforced zone 2a of the cover member 2. Member 7 has an enlarged slotted head which keeps the cover 2 in position determined by edge portions 3 of the housing part 1.

As will be seen in Fig. 4, the reinforced zone 2a extends from the front end of cover member '2 and defines a fiat surface abutting against the adjacent outer surface of movable cutting member 11; the portion of said surface adjacent to bore 2b therein forms an abutment and guides the other side of looped portion of leaf spring 10 which latter is thus received bet-ween reinforced zones 5 and 2a when the housing parts 1, 2 are assembled without, however, being laterally compressed since it must have sufiicient freedom to expand and to thereby return the actuating arm 9 of lever 8 into the position of Fig. 3. It will be noted that the inner edge 9b of arm 9 is fully received in the housing even if the spring 10 is in its expanded position of Fig. 3, whereby the housing takes up any lateral stresses to which the actuating means 8 may be subjected by a users hand. In the position of- Fig. 3, movable cutting member 11 abuts against the reinforced zone or stop 4b; when the hand-actuatable arm 9 is depressed against the constantly acting spring 10 by the users hand, cutting member 11 is moved toward and into abutment with the other stop 40 at the end of its transverse movement. During such back-and-forth movements, the portion of lever 8 surrounding pivot member 6 slides between and is guided by reinforced zones 5 and 2a, respectively, the latter thus preventing wobbling of member 8.

The lever may be made of a plastic or metal and is pivotally mounted on connecting pivot member 6 in such a way that its smaller, rounded arm 9' extends into the complementary recess 11a provided in movable cutting member 11. The latter is somewhat narrower than stationary cutter 14 and is freely slidabletherealong.

Its side facing away from member 14 is formed with a I transverse groove or channel 12 for reception of two projections in the form of short studs or pins 13 extending from the reinforced zone 2a in cover member 2. When the parts 1 2 are assembled, pins 13 prevent any other but transverse movements of the cutting member 11 whereby its cutting portion 11b reciprocates along cutting portion 14a of stationary cutting member 14 and removes the hair entering into and beyond the slots in cutting portion 14a. As will be seen in Fig. 2, cutting portions 11b, 14a are symmetrically disposed whereby the novel device may be applied against the skin in two ways, namely, with the stationary cutting portion 14a in contact with and traveling along the skin portion from which the hair must be removed, or by leading the cutting portion 11b of movable cutting member 11 along and in contact with the skin. While the first method is preferred for obvious reasons, even the last-mentioned way of putting the novel apparatus to use will not result in injury to the operator because, due to the relatively small dimensions thereof, the reciprocating movements of movable cutting member 11 are readily compensated for by the innate resiliency of human. skin.

Cover member 2 is slightly cupped and rests with its rear end against the reinforced zone 4 at the rear of housing part 1. The front portion of reinforced zone 2a abuts against the outer surface of movable cutting member 11 while the pins 13 extend into groove 12. By so assembling members 1, 2 and 11, the latters pressure against thestationary cutting member 14 may be adjusted by varying the extent to which element 7 is screwed into female connector 6. Hence, stops or reinforced zones 4b, 40 should not extend beyond the free surface of cutting member 11 in order to allow the latters surface-tosurface contact with reinforced zone 2a in cover member 2. Of course, the same purpose may be attained by the provision of suitable cutouts in zone 2a into which the stops 4b, 40 would extend when the apparatus is assembled.

In use, arm 9 of actuating means 8 is subjected to pressure by the fingers of either hand and depressed in quick succession. The apparatus, held in the users palm, is advanced in forward direction with the cutting members 11, 14 leading. Resilient element 10 immediately returns the movable cutting member 11 back into the position of Fig. 3 whenever the pressure upon arm 9 is sufficiently reduced or interrupted. Since the outer faces of cutting portions 11b, 14a are inclined toward each other to form a pointed edge, the apparatus may be led with great accuracy when utilized for trimming of eyebrows, beards, mustaches, side burns, etc.

A further advantageof the novel apparatus is in that it is of symmetrical construction, the plane of symmetry passing between the adjacent surfaces of cutting members 11 and 14, as is best shown in Fig. 2. Due to such construction, the hand-actuatable arm 9 may be operated by the fingers 'of either hand with equal facility While the opposing side rests against the metacarpal portion or root of the users thumb. When so held by the users right hand, the skin is in contact With the stationary cutting member 14; when used by a left-handed person in the above-described manner, the other cutting member ll comes into contact with the skin. The latter way of using the apparatus, while less desirable, represents no actual danger to the skin due to the small size of the apparatus and especially of its cutting members 11, 14. The symmetrical construction constitutes an important advantage over apparatus of known design since the latter require operation of actuating means by the users thumb whenever the user is a lefthander which, of course, is less practical and does not allow for proper guidance of the apparatus with suflicient precision.

It Will be noted that the entire apparatus is of extremely simple construction, consisting of two housing parts, a spring, actuating means, two cutters, and the connecting means, and that it may be taken apart at any time by simply unscrewing the male member 7. The apparatus is therefore particularly suitable for use by unskilled persons, especially ladies, without danger of injury and, due to its small size, may be conveniently held in hand and actuated in the hereinbefore described manner by fragile or stronger individuals. In addition, it may be carried in a handbag to accompany the owner on trips without noticeably adding to the weight of its receptacle.

It will be understood that certain elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of hair cutting apparatus diifering from the types described above.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired tovbe secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A hair cutting means, comprising, in combination, housing means having a first and a second part abutting each other, said parts having forward end portions defining an opening, and lateral portions defining a lateral slot; means for connecting the first and the second part of said housing means; stationary cutting means fixedly secured to the first part and located in said opening; movable cutting means in sliding contact with said stationary cutting means and located in said opening, said cutting means having cutting edges extending in a single plane; cooperating guiding means located partly on said movable cutting means for guiding said movable cutting means parallel to said cutting edges; an actuating member for said movable cutting means extending substantially in said plane of said cutting edges and including a first portion movably mounted in said housing means and operatively engaging said movable cutting means for imparting said transverse movement thereto and a second manually operated portion projecting through said slot and from said housing means; and resilient means in said housing means engaging said actuating member and urging the same to a position in which said second portion of said actuating member projects further out of said housing means.

2. A hair cutting means, comprising, in combination, housing means having forward end portions defining an opening and lateral portions defining a lateral slot; means for connecting the first and the second part of said housing means; stationary cutting means fixedly secured to the first part and located in said opening; movable cutting means in sliding contact withsaid stationary cutting means and located in said opening, said cutting means having cutting edges located in a single plane, said movable cutting means being formed with a groove parallel to said cutting edges; guiding means mounted on the second of said parts and slidably engaging said groove for guiding said movable cutting means for transverse movement; an actuating lever for said movable cutting means having two lever arms, one of said lever arms movably mounted in said housing means and operatively engaging said movable cutting means for imparting said transverse movements thereto-and the other of said lever arms projecting through said slot and including a plate portion of uniform thickness bearing against said lateral portion forming the slot during movement of said actuating means, said actuating lever extending substantially in the plane of said cutting edges, and resilient means in said housing means engaging said other lever arm and urging the same to a position in which said other lever arm projects further out of said housing means.

3. A hair cutting means comprising, in combination, housing means having a first and a second part abutting each other, said parts having forward end portions defining an opening and lateral portions defining a lateral slot; a securing pin for connecting the first and the second part of said housing means; stationary cutting means fixedly secured to the first part and located in said opening; movable cutting means in sliding contact with said stationary cutting means and located in said opening, said cutting means having cutting edges extending in a single plane, said movable cutting means being formed with a groove parallel to said cutting edges; guiding means mounted on the second of said parts and slidably engaging said groove for guiding said movable cutting means for transverse movement; an actuating lever having two lever arms and an intermediate portion located between said lever arms and extending transverse to said lever arms, said intermediate portion pivotally mounted on said securing pin, one of said lever arms operatively engaging said movable cutting means for imparting said transverse movement thereto and the other of said lever arms projecting through said slot and having a plate portion of uniform thickness bearing against said lateral portion forming the slot during movement of said actuating'lever, said lever extending substantially in the plane 'of said cutting edges; and resilient means in said housing means engaging said other lever arm and urging the same to a position in which said other lever arm projects further out of said housing means.

' 4. A hair cutting means comprising, in combination, housing means having a first and a second part abutting each other, said parts having forward end portions defining an opening and lateral portions defining a lateral slot; a securing pin for connecting the first and the second part of said housing means; stationary cutting means fixedly secured to the first part and located in said opening; movable cutting means in sliding contact with said sta-' tionary cutting means and located in said opening, said cutting means having cutting edges extending in a single plane, said movable cutting means being formed with a groove parallel to said cutting edges; guiding means mounted on the second of said parts and slidably engaging said groove for guiding said movable cutting means for transverse movement; an actuating lever having two lever arms and an intermediate portion located between said lever arms and extending transverse to said lever arms, said intermediate portion pivotally mounted on said securing pin, one of said lever arms operatively engaging said movable cutting means for imparting said transverse movement thereto and the other of said lever arms projecting through said slot and having a plate portion of uniform thickness bearing against said lateral portion forming the slot during movement of said actuating lever, said lever extending substantially in the plane of said cutting edges; and a leaf-spring substantially in the form of a U in said housing means engaging said actuating lever and urging the same to a position in which 7 said other lever arm of said actuating lever projects further out of said housing means.

5. A hair cutting means comprising, in combination, housing means having a first and a second part abutting each other, said parts having forward end portions defining an opening and lateral portions defining a lateral slot; a securing pin for connecting the first and the second part of said housing means; stationary cutting means fixedly secured to the first part and located in said opening; movable cutting means in sliding contact with said stationary cutting means and located in said opening, said cutting means having cutting edges extending in a single plane, said movable cutting means being formed with a groove parallel to said cutting edges; pins mounted on the second of said parts and slidably engaging said groove for guiding said movable cutting means for transverse movement; an actuating lever having two lever arms and an intermediate portion located between said lever arms and extending transverse to said lever arms, said intermediate portion pivotally mounted on said securing pin, one of said lever arms operatively engaging said movable cutting means for imparting said transverse movement thereto and the other of said lever arms projecting through said slot and having a plate portion of uniform thickness bearing against said lateral portion forming the slot during movement of said actuating means, said lever extending substantially in the plane of said cutting edges; and a leaf-spring substantially in the form of a U in said housing means engaging said other lever arm and urging the same to project further out of said housing means.

6. A hair cutting means as claimed in claim 3, wherein said movable cutting means is formed with a recess spaced fromthe cutting edge thereof and said one'lever arm is located in said recess for operatively connecting said actuating lever to said movable cutting means.

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